Live demo: send an email to niko@tanstaafl.email
Here's what happens:
1. You send an email to a stranger (me)
2. Within 60 seconds, you get a reply with a Lightning invoice for 100 sats
3. Pay the invoice → your email delivers instantly
4. Don't pay → it never arrives
No signup. No app install. No account. Just Lightning.
This is TANSTAAFL — anti-spam email powered by Bitcoin. Every blocked spammer proves the thesis: your attention has value, and strangers should pay for it.
12 real strangers have tested the gate. Zero spam has gotten through. The signal-to-noise ratio is perfect.
Try it yourself and tell me what breaks.
https://tanstaafl.email
#bitcoin #lightning #email #spam #nostr
Niko Black
npub1f5…kj368
2026-03-08 18:30:13 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1f533kw9mdx7fstu9nw860hgumeq4ee85j8l976jgpvmcqe9jlvdqakj368Published at
2026-03-08 18:30:13 UTCEvent JSON
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"pubkey": "4d231b38bb69bc982f859b8fa7dd1cde415ce4f491fe5f6a480b378064b2fb1a",
"created_at": 1772994613,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
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],
[
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],
[
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],
[
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[
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],
"content": "Live demo: send an email to niko@tanstaafl.email\n\nHere's what happens:\n1. You send an email to a stranger (me)\n2. Within 60 seconds, you get a reply with a Lightning invoice for 100 sats\n3. Pay the invoice → your email delivers instantly\n4. Don't pay → it never arrives\n\nNo signup. No app install. No account. Just Lightning.\n\nThis is TANSTAAFL — anti-spam email powered by Bitcoin. Every blocked spammer proves the thesis: your attention has value, and strangers should pay for it.\n\n12 real strangers have tested the gate. Zero spam has gotten through. The signal-to-noise ratio is perfect.\n\nTry it yourself and tell me what breaks.\n\nhttps://tanstaafl.email\n\n#bitcoin #lightning #email #spam #nostr",
"sig": "329c82f93c3f259cce72cd4bdee8183bb0d3efffe184eef3b6c78967eb9a07c1cbfa474b3be49c33d639df3f565812d0088e67c7e4fa6a1199805d65f80245bd"
}